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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort past Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.